Bird hit, belly landing, explosion: How South Korea plane crash happened | World News

A South Korean passenger plane crashed into a wall on landing at the country’s Muan International Airport and exploded, resulting in the presumed death of 179 passengers and as only two people were reported to have made out alive.

The incident occurred when Jeju Air flight 7C2216, carrying 175 passengers and six crew on a flight from Bangkok, was landing around 9 am (local time). Follow LIVE updates.

Visuals from the crash site showed smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane. Two people – a man and a woman – were found alive and are undergoing treatment. Authorities have presumed 179 passengers as dead.

It is the deadliest air accident involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades, according to ministry data.

South Korea plane crash: Here’s what happened

• Investigators are looking into bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors behind the incident.
• Officials also suspect a landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident.
• The control tower had issued a bird strike warning and shortly afterward the pilots declared mayday, Reuters reported, citing a transport ministry official who did not specify whether the flight said it struck any birds.